Renowned author George R.R. Martin has expressed disappointment that Hollywood writers and producers have ruined the legacy of great stories.
In a post on his website, the “Game of Thrones” author shared his thoughts on the flurry of remakes and reinterpretations being churned out by Hollywood studios.
After recalling his past comments about his obligation to stay faithful to the source material, Martin said in 2022 that little has changed since he made those comments.
“Not much has changed since then. If anything, it’s gotten worse. Everywhere you look, there are more and more writers and producers eager to ‘own’ great stories,” Martin writes. blog.
The writer then went on to name a number of other authors who claim that the studio has trampled on that legacy by putting its own spin on it.
“It doesn’t seem to matter whether the book was written by Stan Lee, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Raymond Chandler, Jane Austen, or… anyone,” he continued.
“No matter how famous an author is, no matter how great a book is, there always seems to be someone who thinks they can do better, who is eager to take the story and ‘improve’ it. ‘A book is a book, a movie is a movie,’ they will say, as if that means something deeper. And they make the story their own.”
“But they never make the situation better. 999 times out of 1,000, they make it worse.”
Martin echoed similar sentiments when he and fellow author Neil Gaiman buried Hollywood’s reinterpretation of books in 2022. The 75-year-old said feeling an obligation to “stay true to the source material” is a contentious issue in Hollywood.
“How loyal do you have to be? Some people feel like you don’t have to be loyal at all. There’s this phrase that gets thrown around: ‘Make it yours.’ I hate that phrase. I think Neil probably hates that phrase too,” Martin continued. variety.
Gaiman agreed, saying his work, The Sandman, is one that has been constantly adapted.
“For 30 years I’ve watched people make The Sandman their own, and some of them didn’t even read The Sandman to make it their own. They just flicked through a few comics.”
Martin’s latest comments come just weeks after Disney CEO Bob Iger said on an earnings call that the company will continue to make remakes and sequels because they’re “well-known” and easier to market.
The ongoing reimagining of classic stories is happening elsewhere, with Warner Bros. Recently Announced For example, another Lord of the Rings movie is scheduled for production in 2026.
“But they never make the situation better – 999 times out of 1000, they make it worse,” Martin added in the blog.
But the author did have room to praise one adaptation: the FX series.Shogun” He said he thought the author would have been “pleased” with the adaptation.
“But every once in a while, a really good book gets adapted into a really good film, and when that happens, it’s worth celebrating.”
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